TAMPA — Jamie Santillo received a lot of support online after she was one of many who was denied a Disney DAS pass.
But the travel agent, who specializes in accessible travel, says she’s also gotten a lot of hateful comments.
“Things like 'you are just entitled to think that you should be able to get this pass just because of your heart condition. You are in a wheelchair. You sit all the time. What’s the problem,'" said Santillo.
Disney now has stricter guidelines for its DAS pass program, citing abuse of the system.
The program is meant to make it easier for people with certain disabilities to get through lines and onto rides.
But starting last week Disney implemented stricter guidelines to get those DAS passes.
Disney says now the passes are only for “guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time.”
A group called DAS Defenders says Disney is now discriminating against physical disabilities. They have a petition with more than 15,000 signatures
DAS Defenders shared several examples from people they say were denied passes after having them in the past. They include a military veteran with a traumatic brain injury who suffers from PTSD. His wife said without a DAS Pass he won’t be able to go to Disney anymore.
A woman with stage four breast cancer was denied. Her treatment causes a myriad of side effects including fatigue. Another woman says she has accessibility passes at both Universal and Seaworld but was Denied the DAS pass and told she could always purchase Genie+, a paid add-on to skip lines.
A child was denied who has no kidneys, neuropathy in his feet, and a seizure disorder.
The DAS Defenders said, "Disney, as a global leader in entertainment and hospitality should not be excluding disabilities. Punishing people who are actually disabled for the actions of a few able-bodied people who took advantage of the system is not a solution, it only serves to further harm the disabled community."
Meanwhile, Jamie says the program changes are still very new and she hopes Disney takes another look.
“For me, is it going to deter me from going to Disney? No. I love Disney. I’m a Disney adult through and through. Will it make Disney more challenging? 100%.”
